US 5708678

A concise summary of US Patent 5708678 is as follows:

Title: Method to equalize the temperature in a heating furnace with a controlled-oxidization ambient and heating furnace carrying out the method

Assignee: Danieli and C Officine Meccaniche SpA

Inventors: Fabio Fasoli, Roberto Millone

Filing Date: September 12, 1996

Issue Date: January 13, 1998

Abstract:
The patent describes a method and a furnace for equalizing the temperature of metal slabs in a controlled-oxidizing environment. The furnace includes an insulated chamber with rollers to support and move the slabs. Burners are located in the upper part of the furnace and aspiration intakes in the lower part. The burners are adjusted to create a strongly oxidizing atmosphere, which forms a desired and controllable layer of scale on the slab's surface. This atmosphere is circulated to evenly heat the entire slab. Downstream from the furnace, a descaling assembly removes the scale layer. The furnace itself includes diversion baffles to direct the hot gases to surround the slab, ensuring uniform heating.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

Claim 1 (Method): This claim outlines a method for evenly heating a metal slab. The process involves moving a slab through a furnace on rollers. Inside the furnace, burners create a highly oxidizing atmosphere that intentionally forms a specific type of scale on the slab's surface. This hot, oxidizing gas is made to flow around the entire slab to heat it uniformly. After leaving the furnace, the slab is sent to a descaling station where this layer of scale is removed.

Claim 8 (Apparatus): This claim describes the heating furnace itself. It is an insulated chamber with rollers for moving slabs. It has burners in the upper section and suction ports in the lower section. A key feature is the inclusion of "diversion baffles" which are panels that direct the hot, oxidizing gases produced by the burners to flow down and around the slab, ensuring it is heated evenly on all sides. The burners are specifically fed in a way to create this oxidizing environment.

A search of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) 2026 dockets for cases involving US Patent 5708678 yielded no results. There is no indication of any public legal disputes involving this patent in the specified timeframe.